TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — All Kansas adults who had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are now eligible for booster shots.
Gov. Laura Kelly announced the expansion of eligibility Wednesday, two days before an influential U.S. advisory panel on vaccines is set to consider expanded eligibility nationwide. At least five other states and New York City already have made all adults eligible for boosters.
Kansas had been following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that recommended booster shots for people 65 and older and adults 50 to 64 with underlying medical conditions such as cancer or diabetes putting them at greater risk of being hospitalized from a COVID-19 infection.
“As we move into the winter months, Kansans will increasingly be indoors, putting themselves at greater risk of contracting the virus,” Dr. Lee Norman, the state health department’s top administrator, said in a statement.
The CDC reported that as of Tuesday, about 1.57 million Kansans had received at least two doses of vaccines made by Pfizer or Moderna or one made by Johnson & Johnson. Nearly 263,000 adults or 16.7% have received a booster.
The state health department reports that for the seven days averaging Monday, the state had an average of 1,083 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases a day.
